In this FDD Talk post, you’ll learn the following:

• Section I – Background information on the Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads/Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt franchise opportunity, including relevant news updates

• Section II – Estimated initial investment for a Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads/Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt franchise, based on Item 7 of the company’s 2017 FDD

• Section III – Initial franchise fee, royalty fee, marketing fee, and other fees for a Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads/Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt franchise, based on Items 5 and 6 of the company’s 2017 FDD

• Section IV – Presentation and analysis of Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads/Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt’s financial performance representations, based on Item 19 of the company’s 2017 FDD, including information on the:

• 2016 average, high, and low gross sales for the 19 company-owned Green Leaf’s/Bananas restaurants that were open for one year or more

• 2016 average food and paper cost for the 19 company-owned Green Leaf’s/Bananas restaurants that were open for one year or more

• 2016 average labor cost for the 19 company-owned Green Leaf’s/Bananas restaurants that were open for one year or more

• 2016 average, high, and low gross sales for the 13 franchised Green Leaf’s/Bananas restaurants that were open for one year or more

Section I – Background Information

10 Things You Need to Know About the Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads and Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt Franchises

Raises Equal Pay Awareness

1.  On March 8, in honor of International Women’s Day, Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt launched the Common Sense Smoothie to help raise equal pay awareness. The smoothie was available at participating locations for one day and was offered to customers at the same rate as the current documented wage gap – 80 cents for women and $1.00 for men. It featured a blend of strawberries, peanut butter, honey water, and nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt.

2.  Andrea Carella, brand manager for Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads and Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt, said, “Here at Bananas, and across all of our brands, we value the work of every single one of our employees, no matter their race, creed or gender. We hope that through the launch of our Common Cents Smoothie, we will continue to raise awareness on a real problem, not only in our industry, but in our country, as 169 years is too long to wait to see change!”

New Seasonal Menu Items

3.  At the start of October, Green Leaf’s and Bananas rolled out their seasonal fall menu items which included a new salad, panini, iced tea, and smoothie. The three new items from Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads were the Orchard Salad, the Stone Fruit Iced Tea, and the return of the Harvest Panini. The Orchard Salad featured walnuts, dried cranberries, blue cheese crumbles, and stone fruit dressing. The Harvest Panini, which was back by popular demand, was made with sliced turkey, cheddar cheese, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.

4.  Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt had the new ABC Smoothie, a mix of blended nonfat frozen yogurt, apples, bananas, cranberries, and a touch of honey. It was also loaded with antioxidants and Vitamin C.

5.  Andrea Carella, brand manager for Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads and Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt, said, “We are excited to announce the addition of these new seasonal sensations to the Green Leaf’s menu. Putting a spin on our customers’ fall favorites is always a treat! We pride ourselves on bringing fresh, high-quality ingredients to our guests in innovative ways, and these menu items do just that.”

Green Leaf’s Adds Three New Artisan Melts to Winter Menu

6.  At the beginning of 2017, Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads added three new Artisan Melts to its winter menu. The grilled-to-order sandwiches were available for a limited time and the brand said that they were a lighter/healthier alternative to traditional melts. The three sandwich melts were the Kickin’ Chicken Flatbread, Mariachi Melt, and Spinach Dip Panini.

7.  The Kickin’ Chicken Flatbread featured pepper jack, provolone, all-natural smoked chicken, basil, cilantro, and Frank’s Honey Garlic Sauce; the Mariachi Melt was made with pepper jack, cheddar, all-natural smoked chicken, pico de gallo, and Tajin mayo; and the Spinach Dip Panini had mozzarella, provolone, baby spinach, artichoke hearts, and spinach dip.

Company History

8.  Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads and Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt started out as two separate companies founded in the late 1970s. Green Leaf’s was started in 1976, while Bananas was founded in 1979 (as Everything Yogurt). Today, both brands are owned by Villa Restaurant Group (VRG).

9.  VRG acquired Everything Yogurt in 2003 and changed the brand’s name to Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt. Soon after, VRG combined Bananas with Green Leaf’s and today the two brands are often sold as co-branded franchise units. There are currently over 45 Green Leaf’s and Bananas locations around the U.S.

Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500

10.  Green Leaf’s and Bananas has only appeared on Entrepreneur’s annual Franchise 500 list once in the past 10 years. The company ranked No. 402 in 2016.

Section II – Estimated Costs

• Please click here for detailed estimates of Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads/Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt franchise costs, based on Item 7 of the company’s 2017 FDD.

Section III – Initial Franchise Fee, Royalty Fee, Marketing Fee, and Other Fees

• Please click here for detailed information on Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads/Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt’s initial franchise fee, royalty fee, marketing fee, and other fees, based on Items 5 and 6 of the company’s 2017 FDD.

Section IV – Financial Performance Representations (Item 19, 2017 FDD) and Analysis

• During the calendar year 2016, Green Leaf’s affiliates operated 21 company Green Leaf’s/Bananas restaurants. Of the 21 restaurants, 19 were open for one year or more.